Unearthly Creature of a Dream

A friend shared this video with me, I had to post it, so beautiful,

UNEARTHLY CREATURE OF A DREAM SS2011 from Anna Dobos on Vimeo.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

I stumbled upon this film a year or so ago and I still can't get it out of my mind. 

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever experienced. I think of moments or lines, or a look in one of the actors eyes.  Finally, I decided to do something about it and translate the inspiration into a piece of jewelry.

Around the same time I was thinking about this design, my sister, Anissa, send me a package of jewelry and things she finds here and there, as she so often does(so sweet).  This time I could hardly believe my eyes when I opened these beautiful vintage curtain tacks in colored flowers.

So here is my newest necklace for the Spring collection inspired by this extraordinary film and nautical things in general. You saw it here first. Watch this clip below of the film to get a sense of the amazing eye candy and emotion, and amazing acting performances. 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Necklace, now available in my Etsy Shop.

Spring Fotos

Apologies for the hiatus, more on that later. I'm back.....

photos by Brehan Todd

New And Exciting Updates

Hello friends,

I've been so busy working and following the revolutions going on worldwide, I've hardly had a moment to blog.  I'm making new things everyday and I'm so excited about being creative at this inspiring time. So many things going on right now, where to begin?

EcoFirstArt.com has now relaunched in a much more user friendly website format!  They have just added brand new jewelry for Spring. New artists are joining in this powerful movement every week. I'm so thrilled to be a part of such an exciting collaboration.  Here are a few of the new designs now available on the updated site. More designs, including mens will be added soon as well. Patiently awaiting Spring!

Tagmata Ring by Brehan Todd for EcoFirstArt.com

Good Luck Charm Pendant by Brehan Todd for EcoFirstArt.com

Anna Pavlova Dangle Clip on Earrings by Brehan Todd for EcoFirstArt.com

Garden Party Ring By Brehan Todd for EcoFirstArt.com

Cairo, Egypt

 Peaceful protesters wear police caps and sit on a tank they took over on Tuesday, this week. 

Now, as the government has become fearful, and agitated by the chaos and opposition, they have used every intimidation  tactic available. Things have turned violent and people are dying.  The majority of the members in dissent, opposing the government are well educated, professional men who organized on Facebook and Google. Nothing like this has ever happened before. This may be the first time in history that Egyptian citizens are able to live without a dictator in power, elected by the citizens?  Let's hope the violence ends soon....

Teeter Totters by David Paglia

Right On by the Roots and Joanna Newsom

Just when I thought The Roots couldn't be anymore genius they always surprise me. I'm listening to this album lately from last summer and this is one of my favorite songs these days with Joanna Newsom, another of my fave artists...

"Right On" by The Roots (feat. Joanna Newsom & STS) from Bigger Than Blogging on Vimeo.

Photo of Three Girls on A Park Bench

                           Oaxaca City Mexico, 2007 by Brehan Todd

Karen Elson - Cruel Summer

            Karen Elson performing "Cruel Summer" (Live Acoustic) from Karen Elson on Vimeo.

Karen Elson is so talented and beautiful, I wish I could put her in my pocket and pull her out every once in awhile to have her sing me a song!  Her voice is sweet, girlish, and soft, with a tiny lisp. The way she plays the guitar, and sways timidly is delicate and charming. I find her style and artistic endeavors very inspiring, not to mention, her wardrobe. She wears a lot of feathers and nude tones, and has pretty, unearthly bright, red hair. Her clothes and shoes all look like they were made for dancing in the moonlight. She seems to glow from within and be part angel or forest nymph, mixed with clouds or cotton candy or something?  

This little video of her performing "The Ghost Who Walks", by a fire, in what looks like a castle or cozy cottage in Europe (?) is my favorite. The moody lyrics speak of loneliness and romance, and of the darkness that sometimes takes over our minds for a bit. Often, we feel this more during the final stages of winter, during these cold grey months as we wait for Spring.

The lyrics in this song, remind me a lot of how I felt as a child and a young girl, not always fitting in easily; "living" in my imagination of secret gardens, books and dolls and colored pencils.  I remember rushing home from school to see what had grown bigger or peeped out of the ground while I was away, in my garden bed.  I could hardly wait for the lilacs to bloom in the Spring, the pansies to pop up and the tulips to open! I loved to clip just enough flowers to make bouquets for the house and still leave my garden looking full and vivacious! I planted and tended my little menagerie of random plants so peacefully and happily at times. Some nights I would stay there digging, and playing with snails, until the sun started to go down. I think my parents began to think it was a bit strange when I decided to plant a single rose bush, strategically placed in the Southeast corner of the front yard, right in the middle of the lawn. "Why can't I dig a hole in the grass and plant my rose bush here, I asked my father?" I had it all planned out, in what I thought was a perfectly logical landscaping idea.  I planned to dig the hole deep enough for the roots to fit, remove the rocks and grasses and place the rocks around the circle to keep weeds from creeping in.  That way, the first thing people would see when they came up to our house, was this beautiful red and pink rosebush, something I felt was essential. There was no winning this argument with a determined twelve year old. Or, maybe my parents felt bad that I liked doing manual labor instead of normal child things? Anyhow, there I went, digging away and planting my roses, stretching the hose to it's limit to water it for the first time and feeling quite pleased with myself for my creativity and determination. 

I've since learned to garden in a more traditional sense and I still find it so peaceful and relaxing to feel the soil on my hands. As I'm working on getting the Spring collection out and into the boutiques, I will be starting some lettuce and tomato seeds in the basement. The sun is already out and Spring will be here before we know it. Maybe I'll plant a rose, next to the blackberries this year?  I think that would be lovely if that was the first thing I saw each morning when I woke up.....aaahhh, day dreaming of Spring time! For now, back to work I go!

Bob Dylan Interview With Time Magazine

Bo